A Real Bishop

There’s an old story about Saint Basil the Great — the Bishop of Caesarea long, long ago and for my money the greatest man the Christian church has ever produced — and his meeting with the Eastern Roman emperor Valens. Valens was an Arian, while Basil was a passionate advocate for what would come to be acknowledged as orthodox Trinitarian theology, and Valens came to Caesarea for the express purpose of bringing the famous bishop into line with imperial policy. Basil flatly refused to budge from his convictions, which caused the Imperial prefect to cry, “No one has ever refused the Emperor before!” To which Basil replied, “Perhaps you’ve never met a real bishop before.”

Please don’t say, “Those were the days!” We remember Basil (and a handful of other bishops, like Augustine and Athanasius) not because he was common for his time but because he was utterly extraordinary — for his time and for any other. Good bishops are not much less rare than Jamaican snowflakes.

But what makes for a good bishop? That depends on time and place. Rowan Williams, the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, has been thought by many on the theological left and right to have been a poor bishop. To consider only the most controversial issue of his episcopacy, for the left he didn’t go far enough to support the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the Church of England and in the worldwide Anglican Communion, and for the right he went far too far in that direction. Both groups thought him insufficiently decisive and commanding.

Both groups were wrong for the simple reason that the Archbishop of Canterbury has very little power to impose his will on the Church of England and no power at all over the rest of the Communion. Williams could have shouted louder, but that would have worn out his voice without accomplishing anything at all. He thought differently about his roles than his critics did — and the Archbishop of Canterbury does have two very distinct roles.

As the head of the Church of England, the Established Church in that country, Williams has sought to advocate for social policies that he believes consistent with historic Christian teaching. (I have sometimes agreed with his preferred policies, sometimes not; that’s neither here nor there.) As primus inter pares in the Anglican world he has primarily tried to set an example of prayerfulness as opposed to politicking, for which he has been roundly despised by many Anglicans, especially my fellow theological conservatives.

My own position, shared by no one that I’m aware of, is that in these broad Communion matters Williams set precisely the example he should have set — the example Anglicans desperately needed — only to find that example pretty much universally rejected. So he was not a good bishop if that means being popular or admired or politically effective; but in my judgment a bishop is in full control of the example he sets, but not of whether it’s followed. Perhaps he could have been more charismatic; but perhaps the world’s Anglicans were in no mood to step back from politics and into contemplativeness, no matter who had recommended it.

It saddens me to have to say that many of the world’s Anglicans consider other Anglicans their enemies, but it’s true. And for that reason it may well be that Welby is the best possible man for the job. I pray, fervently, that he will be — that, like Basil the Great, though perhaps not in quite so remarkable a way, he will prove to be a real bishop.

As a liberal Episcopalian I’m actually quite supportive of the stance and polices of Archbishop Rowan, and have thought he has served splendidly in holding open a door for discussion and thought while also respecting the clear and defined rights of the regional churches to abide by their own revelation. Only through such strong and patient leadership can the vast and diverse Anglican church come to any kind of understanding at all.

For similar reasons I have hope for the incoming Archbishop Welby. While he appears to be more conservative than I would hope, he appears to be equally determined to hold open a space for respect, discussion, and reconciliation, and maintain respect for the autonomy of the regional churches.

That said, it is my hope and my abiding prayer that my own regional church will hold its ground and confirm its own revealed truth in the equality and legitimacy of gays, in marriage and in clericy.

Alan,
Thank you for your words. I’m an American Anglican (who attends a church that left TEC). I, too, admire and appreciate the leadership of Archbishop Williams. He seems very temperate, which is a quality there isn’t enough of out there right now.

Our rector has met with and admires Bishop Welby as well, and if Welby and Canon Wright are friends, then all the better.

What nonsense. Williams was from the first a politician. While there have been many opinions from various quarters about why he was despised — amongst the leaders of the churches of the developing world they found they could not rely upon his word.

Thanks for this, Alan. You won’t be surprised to know that I share your position that Rowan Williams set precisely the right example. I wish there had been more bishops (not to mention priests, deacons, and lay folk) like him across the Communion. I will miss having him as ABC.

I too know people who know Bishop Welby and he seems liike a good choice to assume the office.

This does mean Rowan will have more time to write and that is good news for everyone.

I once chanced to share an elevator with Archbishop Rowan when he was taking a Sabbatical of sorts at Georgetown University some years ago. While I knew little of him then, I’ve become increasingly impressed with his efforts as a servant of God, in the best way he knows how.

Interesting piece, but you write that it saddens you that some Anglicans “consider” other Anglicans their enemies. Do you mean to imply that there is no actual, practical enmity being shown by any group within Anglicanism to any other group, and the problem is just paranoia and misinterpretation? I was an Epicopalian throughout the Prayer Book battles of the 1970’s, and stuck with the church until the female and then the “partnered” bishops of the 1990’s, then went to Rome. It seems clear to me that the liberal reformers attacked the prayer book party without provocation, ruthlessly, and carried out a scorched earth policy, attempting to eradicate traditionalism wherever it could be found. For example, the Bishop of Houston disbanded the well-loved music program at Trinity Episcopal Church, which combined traditional music and feed-the-homeless, fuzzy-sweater Anglo-Catholicism. In its place, there was instituted a Jazz Mass for the main Sunday mass. Surely there is nothing wrong with recognizing and acknowledging enmity, when that is the reality? We can’t make everything nice just by pretending.

Tom, I’ve seen plenty, more than enough, of the kind of “liberal” pettiness and arrogance you describe; but I’m sad to say that I’ve seen plenty of sin on my own conservative side as well. Some of it was committed by me.

So for my part I will never, if I can possibly help it, think of any of my brothers and sisters in Christ as enemies. If they think of me as one, well, I have some really clear directions, both Dominical (Matthew 5) and Apostolic (Romans 12) for how to deal with that.

Keeping those commandments is enough of a challenge for me that, if I’m serious about obedience, I don’t have time left over to bemoan the sins of others. Jesus said something about motes and beams, and I think that one was pointed right at me. So if the new Archbishop of Canterbury is focused on reconciliation among Chrstians whose relationships with one another are broken, I’m going to try to do my part to be reconciled and hope that others are willing as well. If they’re not, I can’t control that.

But as St. Paul says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”